


A Dungeon Horrible

by LadyWallace



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brother Feels, Dark fic, Emotionally Hurt Castiel, Emotionally Hurt Dean Winchester, Episode AUs, Episode s13xe21 Beat the Devil, Episode s13xe22 Exodus, Gen, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam, No Slash, Season 13 AUs, Team Free Will whump, Tortured Castiel, Tortured Sam Winchester, but with essentially a happy ending, major angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-15 22:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16942047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyWallace/pseuds/LadyWallace
Summary: 13x21/22 AU The last thing Sam wants to do is give in to Lucifer again. Unfortunately, Lucifer knows how to get what he wants. Meanwhile Cas follows Dean to retrieve Sam's body but the journey falls apart when they are confronted with some all-too-familiar faces. Heavy angst, TFW whump





	1. Part One: Darkness Visible

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Some lines taken from 13x21 and 13x22

_At once as far as Angels' ken he views,_

_The dismal Situation waste and wild,_

_A Dungeon horrible, on all sides round_

_As one great Furace flam'd, yet from those flames_

_No light, but rather darkness visible_

_Serv'd only to discover sights of woe,_

_Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace_

_And rest can never dwell, hope never comes_

_That comes to all; but torture without end_

_Still urges, and a fiery Deluge, fed_

_With ever-burning Sulphur unconsum'd…_

_-Paradise Lost (John Milton)_

_XXX_

Sam gasped awake.

His heart stuttered several times in his chest before it found its rhythm, his lungs spasmed as he coughed to refill them. It was dark, wherever he was, and he was alone.

Sam surged upright, still gasping, trying to figure out where he was.

And then there were flashes. Of the last thing he remembered. The caves, the vampires, their fangs in his neck, tearing flesh and arteries…

Sam quickly brought a hand up to grasp at his throat. He remembered calling out to Dean, his brother shouting for him, but unable to get to him, hemmed in by even more vampires. And then they had ripped Sam's throat out.

Sam felt dried, tacky blood, but the skin underneath was intact. He had no idea how that was. Maybe Cas? But Cas wasn't anywhere in the cave. The angel wasn't helping him to his feet, Dean wasn't waiting nearby to pull him into a relieved embrace.

Sam and been dead. And they had known it.

He was also very cold. He shivered uncontrollably, frigid to his core. That feeling…he knew it, but it couldn't be. It couldn't—

His breath caught in his throat as he surged to his feet. He needed to get out of there. Now.

He spun around and a figure from his worst nightmares appeared from the shadows.

"Boo!"

Sam staggered back with an involuntary gasp, his heart ratcheting up to a gallop once again.

"Hi, Sammy," Lucifer smirked, his smile garish in the sparse light of the cave.

"No," Sam breathed, staggering back another step.

"Yeah," Lucifer sighed mockingly, giving a little shrug. "I mean you can do the whole pinch yourself, rub your eyes thing, or you can put on your big boy pants and just cut to the realization that, yup—it's me." He turned to meet Sam's eyes and he felt like he was back in Hell again. All of his worst memories were flooding back, only heightened by his recent trauma.

"You—y-you," Sam stuttered in a hushed voice, terror practically choking him. "You brought me back," he finally choked out in horror.

"I did," Lucifer said matter-of-factly, standing up and walking toward him. "You're welcome."

"Why?" Sam demanded, though he had a few guesses and none of them were good.

"Oh, well, I'm getting to that," Lucifer told him.

"The rift," Sam suddenly realized with a sinking feeling. If Lucifer was here then…oh god, this was so much worse than he had originally conceived. "The rift…Rowena…"

"Oh, she's okay," Lucifer cut in quickly. "I mean, I was going to kill her, but she blasted me here before I had a chance to, so…it was great, self-defense, but, uh…I was coming here anyway."

"But we drained you," Sam said, still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"So…how did I have the juice to pull off my little Lazarus trick?" Lucifer provided. "Ah, that's a long story, but I was basically tracking you here, and then I came across a handful of Michael's angels, and I…ate them."

Sam's eyes blew wide, his heart clenching in his chest again. Lucifer smiled and cocked his head to one side.

"I guess it's not really a long story, is it?"

"What do you want?" Sam demanded.

"What do I want?" Lucifer repeated. "I want what everyone wants. I want a personal apology from Pop, I want re-run free year round episodes of Drag Race—"

"Yeah, got it," Sam cut in. "Okay, right, we're done here." He cautiously reached to grab his backpack that was still lying on the floor, his hands shaking.

"Where are you going?" Lucifer demanded then handed him a flashlight he held. "Here, it's dark out there."

Sam glowered at him and pulled his own flashlight from the pocket of his backpack, flicking it on. Lucifer rolled his eyes.

Sam took a deep breath and turned his back on the devil, toward the tunnels.

The instant his flashlight shone through the darkness, inhuman snarls sounded and the light illuminated a writhing mass of vampires waiting in the tunnel beyond.

Sam jumped back, horrified.

"Yeah," Lucifer said. "They're sort of…all over there and I'm holding them back."

Sam was paralyzed in fear, unable to tear his eyes way from the same creatures who had killed him only less than an hour ago.

"They're just waiting for a little snap of the fingers, bud," Lucifer said and Sam could see, out of the corner of his eye, that he was holding up his hand, poised to snap. "I didn't want them flooding in here and eating you again. Not until after we'd finished our convo."

Sam's breath caught in his throat but he swallowed hard and spun around toward Lucifer again, forcing a glower onto his face. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Lucifer paused and then finally lowered his hand. "I want what you already have," he said simply. Sam narrowed his eyes, confused. "A relationship with my son."

Understanding dawned on Sam along with fresh terror. No. He wouldn't allow Lucifer anywhere near Jack. He huffed, and shook his head, almost disbelieving.

"Okay, there was a time that I would just…grab him," Lucifer admitted and then he shrugged. "I've grown."

"Yeah, sure, yeah," Sam stuttered.

"I have, Samuel," Lucifer insisted. "I want my son, and you're going to help me."

Sam shook his head. "How?"

"Well, I don't feel like he'll give me a chance unless I come bearing gifts." Lucifer smirked. "Yup." He touched Sam's chest with a stupid 'boop' sound and smirked. "That's you."

Sam turned away, trying to fight through the emotions nearly choking him.

"Look, Sammy, I'm not asking you to like it, or like me. All I'm asking is that you acknowledge the truth. That I was the one who brought you back to life—that I was the one who lifted you from the darkness and into the light."

Sam almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't believe Lucifer actually thought he could manipulate him like this, after everything. He squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing hard.

"Okay?" Lucifer coaxed. "Apocalypse world? Michael's armies? You really think you and your family can handle that stuff alone? You need me."

Sam turned back to him but couldn't look him in the eye. "And what if I say no?"

Lucifer shifted, obviously agitated. He cleared his throat. "Okay, let me just make this really really easy; easy enough for even you to understand, Sammy. I'm getting to Jack. One way or the other. The only question is, you coming with?"

Sam took a shuddering breath, looking between Lucifer and back at the tunnel where the vampires shuffled, obviously ravenous. He could make a run for it, but…it wouldn't change a thing. He would never make it, he would die again, and Lucifer would just bring him back and start this all over again. Just like in the Cage.

Hopeless, terror clawed through him at that thought, and what he knew was coming. Sam felt a tear slide down the blood and grime on his face as he gasped in a sharp breath before he turned back to Lucifer, shaking his head.

"I will never help you," he said and, surprisingly, his voice was firm. "I will keep you away from Jack if it's the last thing I do."

"Oh, Sammy," Lucifer shook his head with a sigh, looking put-upon, but Sam could see the glint of delight in his eyes. "I really wish you hadn't said that….but, who am I kidding? I'm still going to enjoy it." His eyes flashed red and he flicked his wrist. Sam suddenly found himself flat on the ground, Lucifer standing over him with a psychotic grin.

"It's been too long, bunk-buddy," he said as he pulled his blade from inside his coat.

Sam's breath caught in his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable.

~~~~~~~

Dean threw a water bottle into his backpack, slung it over his shoulder. It was automatic, his body doing what he knew he should but his mind wasn't there. His mind was back in that cave, watching his little brother get ganged up on by those vamps and…

Dean squeezed his eyes shut, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. The pain brought him back to himself and he took a deep breath, turning around to where Mom stood a little bit away, watching him. Cas was over to one side, telling Jack what had happened and the kid didn't seem to be taking it well. Cas tried to put a hand on his shoulder but Jack jerked away. Dean took another deep breath.

"Dean?" Mom asked quietly, concern in her voice.

"I have to go back," Dean murmured, pushing past her. "Get his body."

Mom didn't argue, probably realized how useless it was at this point and he was glad of that. He didn't need that right now. Didn't need to feel worse about anything than he already did.

"Dean," Cas hurried over to him, but still he didn't stop, heading toward the gates of the camp. "Dean, I'm coming with you."

"No, Cas," Dean said stiffly, not even looking at the angel.

He heard a short growl from Cas' throat and the angel gripped his sleeve, yanking him back around to face him. "Dean, I am not letting you go in there alone, it's suicide."

"And so what if it is?" Dean shouted, jerking out of Cas' grip. He should have been there to protect Sam, but he wasn't. And now his brother was dead and Dean just wanted to be lying there with him. They'd said that if they died they would die together, and yet Dean was still alone, because everyone always left him.

The angel shook his head, pain and exasperation and pleading all washing over his features. "Dean, if you think for one moment that I'm going to let you get yourself killed…" He pressed his lips together, blinking hard before he seemed to find the words, and when he spoke again and met Dean's eyes, both his voice and his gaze were shaky. "We just lost Sam; I am not going to lose you too."

A stake drove itself through Dean's heart at Cas' words. It was too soon to hear "lost" and "Sam" in the same sentence.

Cas reached out and gripped his shoulder tightly, forcing Dean to look at him. "Sam was my brother too, Dean," he said in a low, earnest voice. "And I am not going to lose another brother today."

Dean's throat tightened and his eyes stung. In his own grief, he had forgotten how Cas might be feeling. Cas had actually seen Sam dead and yet he'd had to leave him there in order to get the rest of them out. Cas had already saved Dean's life, pulling him from that cave because if he hadn't been there Dean would have already gotten himself killed. And Cas was their family. Dean supposed he had forgotten in his selfish grief that Cas had lost a brother too.

He blinked the threatening tears from his eyes and nodded firmly, unable to say anything. Cas nodded back, relief coming over his features as he squeezed Dean's shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

Then they silently turned and left the camp, going to do the last thing they ever would for Sam.

~~~~~~~

Sam tried to kick his brain into gear, he tried to fight, but he was petrified. Maybe it was just coming back from the dead, or waking to find that the single subject of his most frequent nightmares was the one who had brought him back, only to torture him again, but he couldn't focus. His brain was convinced he was back in the Cage again—that maybe, just maybe, he had never left after all. That all of this—the apocalypse world, everything—had been just a fabrication of Lucifer's as some new, possibly even crueler torment that he had become bored with and so he was going back to simple knife work.

"Relax, Sammy, you know it hurts less when you do," Lucifer cooed as he slowly stabbed Sam in the side. He cried out, tensing instead.

"You know, no matter how many, delicious years we spent down there in the Cage together, Sam, it never gets old hearing you scream," Lucifer said, sitting back on his heels. "Feeling more cooperative?"

"Sc-screw, you," Sam choked out.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Well, you haven't gotten any more eloquent." He traced the blade over Sam's collarbone almost contemplatively. "I just don't get it. I mean, do you like it when I torture you, Sammy? Is that it? Because I gave you an easy out and you still didn't take it." He broke the skin and Sam hissed, flinching as Lucifer leaned over close to his face with a smirk. "And no shame if you do like it, Sam. You know I don't judge."

"It wouldn't matter what I had said," Sam gritted out. "There is no easy out with you. I know that better than anyone. If I had agreed to take you back to camp you would have just found some other way to hurt me and everyone else. The least I can do is protect your son from you."

Lucifer slammed the hilt of his blade into Sam's ribs hard, causing him to scream as the devil spat in anger. "And doesn't my son get a chance to meet his father?! Make those decisions for himself?!"

Sam tried to catch his breath through the throbbing in his ribs. "Maybe, but not like this. I'm not going to have you manipulate him."

"Oh, Sammy," Lucifer chuckled wryly, tracing the blade over his face, and pushing Sam's hair back with it. "You know me—that's kind of my thing. Maybe right now, you're just a pawn, right where I want you."

"It doesn't matter," Sam insisted. "You know me—I don't break that easy."

"Oh yes you do, Sam," Lucifer said with a knowing smile. "Yes, you do."

And before Sam could say another word, Lucifer dug the blade into his flesh again and Sam threw his head back with a scream, the tunnels echoing with the sounds of his agony.

~~~~~~~

Dean and Cas trudged quietly through the forest. The landscape itself was silent, like all the animals had run off when the apocalypse had started as well. Dean found himself focusing on the crunch of his boots in the dry ground cover of leaves and twigs, Cas' steps echoing half a step behind him.

But the silence was only deepening the hole that had been carved into his core, and he couldn't stand it after a while, so he finally spoke. "How's Jack?" he asked Cas.

The angel gave a small sigh of regret. "He didn't take Sam's death well."

Dean clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists, nails digging into his palms. "Sammy is—was close to the kid. I can see he would take it hard."

"Jack thinks Gabriel or I should have been able to save him," Cas said grimly. "He wasn't wrong."

Dean finally looked over at him, seeing the slump of guilt in his friend's shoulders that he knew all too well.

"Cas, you can't put this on you, alright?"

"But you can?" the angel retorted.

Dean pressed his lips into a thin line and looked off into the forest ahead. He knew that realistically Cas was right, but…damn it, if it didn't always kill him when he failed to protect his little brother. Watching him jump into the Cage with Lucifer and Michael had been hard, but at least he'd had something to hold on to. Sam had done it to save the world, after all. This…watching Sammy get swarmed by vamps and have his…his freakin' throat torn out…he hadn't felt like that since the first time, at Cold Oak when Sam had gotten stabbed in the back right in front of him. He had hoped never to have to go through another situation like that, that feeling of being utterly helpless to go to his brother's aid like instinct had taught him, but it had happened again and again, no matter what he tried.

Sure, this might have been a typical hunter's death, but that didn't make it all right. It didn't make it all right that Sam hadn't even died in their own world. That Sam had been taken, and Dean had been left behind.

"Dean," Cas softly prompted and Dean finally turned to him, halting for a moment. "We'll bring Sam home, regardless of what happens. We owe him that."

They owed him a hell of a lot more, Dean owed him everything, but he knew Cas was just trying to make him feel better and he was frankly too numb with exhaustion and grief to snap at the angel, especially since he knew his friend was suffering as much as he was.

"Yeah," he finally said and turned to start on their way again when Cas suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Wait," he said.

Dean heard it then, footsteps in the woods. They spun around but too late to get out of sight of the troop of angels that was marching their way.

"Run!" Cas hissed, but the angels were already shouting, running toward them several of them raising machine guns.

They spun around, launching themselves through the trees, even knowing how fruitless the effort would be. Sure enough, they were cut off almost instantly by an angel appearing in front of them. Dean had unfortunately gotten used to the fact that their angels couldn't fly anymore. The rest hemmed them in, guns raised.

"Hands up," one said. "On your knees."

Dean glowered at the angels and instead reached for his angel blade at the back of his belt, but Cas grabbed his arm firmly before he could.

"Dean, don't," the angel nearly pleaded, even as he glowered at the other angels.

One of them, probably the leader, stepped forward, a dark scowl on his face. "I said on your knees, worm!" he snapped before he backhanded Dean across the face. The hunter saw red and surged forward, frankly thinking of nothing more than going out while taking a few of these feathered douchebags with him. But firm hands grabbed him from behind and forced him to his knees with bone-crushing grips to his shoulders.

Dean struggled, but found it was little use as the angels relieved him of his duffle bag and held an angel blade to his throat. He glanced over to one side and saw Cas held similarly.

The leader of the troop approached them again. "That's better," he said with an oily smile, then reached down and gripped Cas' chin roughly, tilting his head back and forth. "Angel…but not from here. And one of the hunters from the other universe." He released Cas and straightened up, nodding to his troop. "We'll take them back to headquarters for questioning. They may prove useful. I bet they know where the camp and the nephillim are hiding."

"Why don't you kiss my ass?" Dean snarled, struggling again as the angels hauled him upright, before a punishing fist was slammed into his stomach so hard his feet left the ground. He groaned into his dirt, feeling like he would vomit as he was dragged bodily upright again, both arms held in crushing grips by the angel captors. He saw Cas shooting him a pleading look and sagged slightly.

"I think you could use a lesson in manners, mud-monkey," the leader snarled and jerked his head at his troop. "Come on, we don't have all day."

And with that Dean and Cas were whisked away through angel express and all he could think was that this day couldn't possibly get worse than it already had.

Of course, he was going to be proven wrong.

~~~~~~~

"You know, I really have missed this, our quality time together. Haven't you, Sam?"

Sam was drifting in pain and encroaching blood loss but snapped back to himself as Lucifer slapped him across the face. He took a shuddering breath and tried to struggle again, but Lucifer still had him psychically pinned to the ground.

"Hey Sam, what's worse?" Lucifer asked him with a look of false contemplation. "The fact that I'm torturing you again in a nice dark place that offers no escape, or the fact that everyone thinks your dead so no one is even going to look for you?"

Sam turned his head away from him and Lucifer sighed, obviously getting bored. The fallen archangel stood up and waved his hand. Sam felt the hold on his body give, and struggled to sit up, gritting his teeth from the pain, but Lucifer simply reached down and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, flinging him against the wall. Sam hit with a yelp, struggling but it was no use; he was once again pinned by Lucifer's powers.

"However, as much as I love our chats, we are on a short time slot here," Lucifer said, tapping the blade he had been using on Sam against his palm. "I left Rowena with about—oh—thirty hours of grace, give or take. And you, as usual, are being your stubborn self, and as much as I'd love to do our little Cage reunion rituals, I think it's time to move on to plan B."

Sam grunted. "Go ahead, if you think it will make a difference."

Lucifer shrugged. "Well, that's yet to be seen, but we'll give it the old college try anyway."

Before Sam could react to what was coming, Lucifer had stabbed the blade through his stomach. He choked back a cry of shock and pain, and Lucifer finally released his hold on Sam. The hunter collapsed in a heap at his feet, scrambling to press his hands to the bleeding wound.

"Like I said, Sammy, we could have done this the easy way but you left me no other choice. Now we're gonna see how my son likes his gift from his father."

Sam could barely hear or pay attention to him through the pain, but he did see the foot coming toward his head. Then it was all black.

The next thing he was aware of was extreme bodily discomfort. He let out a whimpering groan and struggled to grope around him, trying to figure out why he hurt so much.

When his eyes finally opened, he realized he was being dragged through the forest by someone who was holding on to the back of his coat. His head lolled up to see who it was and he let out a breath of fear as he remembered. Lucifer.

"Ah, you're awake." The fallen archangel suddenly dropped him and Sam cried out and curled up around the still bleeding wound in his stomach. He had a feeling Lucifer had done something so he wouldn't bleed out completely but the pain was immense.

"Why are you doing this?" Sam demanded, though to be honest part of him was really glad to be out of the tunnels.

"To gain favor with my son, of course," Lucifer said. "If he really likes you, then I bet poor little Jack was pretty sad to hear you had died. What do you think he'll say when I bring you back all tied up with a bow?"

"Jack's not that stupid," Sam whispered. "And Dean and the others know how I died. They'll wonder why I have a stab wound."

Lucifer smirked. "Not when they realize I jumped in here just in time to see you get gangd up on by an angel hit squad who had brought you back to life for interrogation and then stabbed you when you fought back."

Sam snorted. Like they would buy that. He focused on his body for a second, seeing just how unlikely it would be for him to make a run for it, and instantly put off that idea when he could barely roll over. Lucifer looked down at him with something like glee and something like mock pity.

"Come on, Sammy, you knew you weren't getting out of this that easy. Now, let's go see my son, or, tell you what, I'll throw you back to those vamps, and bring you back to life, and start this all over again."

Sam closed his eyes. It didn't matter what he said. He couldn't fight Lucifer in his condition anyway.

The archangel seemed to take that as his defeat, and grinned. He reached down and slung Sam over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, causing the hunter to cry out as his wounds were jarred. "Show time, Sammy!"

~~~~~~~

Mary watched Dean and Cas leave the camp with a tight feeling in her stomach, mixing with the grief and shock of the loss of her youngest son—in fact, she wasn't sure she had quite some to terms with it being real just yet. She instantly regretted Dean leaving the camp, horrified at the thought of losing him and Cas too, but she also knew there was no way she was going to stop him. She wished she could have gone with them, but she knew that with Castiel there, the angel wouldn't let Dean throw himself needlessly into danger. Besides, Mary was needed back here at the camp.

She glanced over toward the fringe of the camp where a small cabin that was too run down for living or supplies sat. Jack was sitting on the front stoop, arms wrapped tightly around himself as he leaned forward, head bowed.

Gabriel came up to Mary and stood at her shoulder, watching the boy almost hesitantly.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" he asked.

Mary shook her head. "No, I'll talk to him. Keep an eye on the camp."

Mary made her way over to the cabin and once she had gotten there, she simply sat down on the stoop beside Jack, not saying anything. She didn't crowd him, but she let their shoulders touch a fraction, just to let Jack know he wasn't alone.

The nephillim took a shuddering breath and reached up with one hand to scrub his wet eyes. "I can't believe he's gone," he whispered. "How did that even happen?"

Mary swallowed hard, finding it difficult to keep her own emotions at bay, but she would have to find time to break down later. Right now, she had to be strong for Jack even though she was breaking on the inside and she had no answers to his questions. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Dean's face when she had asked about Sam. The way he'd shuddered with the silent sobs he wouldn't quite allow himself to release as she held him. Castiel's devastation when he had broken the news to Jack…Even with all that, Mary still couldn't quite believe that her baby boy was lying dead somewhere in a cave, torn apart by vampires.

"I know it's hard, Jack," she said finally, forcing the words to come out mostly steady. "But sometimes, even seasoned hunters…" she stopped, realizing that Jack wasn't looking for a rational explanation. He was just hurting. "It shouldn't have happened, you're right, but we can't just let it break us, Jack. Sam knew the risks and he came anyway. We need to finish the mission so he doesn't have to die in vain."

Jack sniffed again. "It's not fair," he said. "I just…I want him to come back."

Mary couldn't stand the boy's pain anymore and simply pulled him into her arms, rocking him gently as Jack buried his face against her shoulder. "I know, Jack. I do too. I do too."

They sat there for a few long minutes before an alarm bell sounded through the camp and Mary pulled away, both her and Jack standing up and looking around. She put a comforting hand on his back before they raced back into camp.

Gabriel met them, a furrow between his brows.

"What is it?"

"Someone's approaching," he said."

"Is it Dean and Castiel?" Jack asked.

Gabriel shook his head and frowned deeper, looking like he was concentrating on something, then his eyes blew wide. "The warding! We broke it to get in here!"

He raced to the main gate, and Mary and Jack were right behind him, but by the time they got there it was already too late.

The intruder staggered in and Mary instantly felt her guts clench in recognition, but that wasn't all.

"Please! A little help—I have an injured man here!"

"Shit," Gabriel breathed.

"Gabriel what's going on…?" Mary started before she saw the intruder—Lucifer—kneel on the ground and unload the limp figure from his shoulders onto the ground rather roughly. Mary gasped as the injured man sprawled on his back, his face revealed.

Jack pushed through them even though Gabriel grabbed his arm. "Sam!" he cried.

Mary looked from the face of the devil to the pale bloodstained features of her son. The rest of the refugees stood around the scene in a circle, guns held at the ready, as if unsure of what to make of this situation. Mary wasn't exactly sure herself.

Lucifer stood up and faced them, his eyes instantly focusing on Jack. "Oh, hello, son."

~~~~~~~

The angels that had captured Castiel and Dean flew them quickly through the ether, and landed outside of an old abandoned gas station that, if Castiel had his bearings right, wasn't all that far away from where the refugee camp was located though it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Dean still struggled against their captors and Castiel wished to fight as well, but didn't want to risk any more injury, especially since Dean would probably be the first one they decided was too much trouble.

"Get your hands off me, asshats!" Dean shouted, and one of the angels who held him slammed his face against the wall of the building, casing Dean to drop to the ground, stunned. The angels took the opportunity to cuff his hands in front of him and kick him viciously in the ribs.

"If you didn't need your tongue to talk, we would have cut it out by now," one of the angels snarled.

Dean growled out more curses and insults, trying to struggle to his knees, but he was beaten back into the ground and dragged inside the cabin. Castiel was manhandled into a pair of cuffs hanging from the rafters and he was left standing, his hands stretched painfully above his head as he watched Dean try to fight yet again after he was dumped in a corner.

"Dean stay down," Castiel pleaded finally, unable to stand the inevitable sight of his friend getting beaten unconscious. He couldn't stomach it right now, not after Sam. Not while he was tied up and unable to stop another of his brothers from pain and torment.

Dean looked up at him and Castiel recognized the raw pain in his eyes. He knew where Dean's head was, thinking the physical pain would work to dull the mental, but they both knew it wasn't worth it. Not when more pain was inevitably on its way. Dean finally sagged, the fight seeming to go right out of him as he slumped in the corner of the cabin.

One of the angels still kicked him in the hip for good measure as he bent and fixed Dean's manacles to a chain attached to the wall to keep him from going anywhere. The leader strode over to stand in front of them, hands clasped behind his back.

"Now," the leader said, glancing between Dean and Castiel. "I'm sure I don't have to explain how this is going to go. We want information, and you're going to give it to us. How strong are your numbers? Where is your camp located?" He strode closer to Castiel, and sneered into his face as he said, "Where is the nephillim?" He pulled back as Castiel met his eyes without wavering. "Consequences will be…harsh…if you do not cooperate. However, if you do, I will promise to make your deaths swift."

"Okay, you son of a bitch," Dean spoke up from the ground and Castiel's heart sank, knowing where this was going to lead, but there would be not stopping the Winchester either. "Let me explain how this is going to go. You can ask your questions, but we're not gonna give you shit. So you can take your threats and shove them up your ass. I have a brother to bury so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me go."

The leader simply reached a hand out toward Dean and made a fist. A cry was ripped from Dean's throat as he doubled over in his chains, blood dripping from past his lips.

"Stop!" Castiel cried as the angel continued for longer than necessary, a small smirk of satisfaction on his lips.

The angel kept going for another few long seconds as Dean hemorrhaged, then finally stopped, turning to cock his head at Castiel. Dean collapsed onto the ground, curled into himself and gasping for breath.

"You want to take the mud-monkey's place?"

Castiel clenched his jaw and lifted his head so he was gazing down his nose at the angel. "You think I'll be more willing to talk?"

"I think you're a filthy deserter who has mistakenly thrown in his lot with these maggots," the angel said, pure disdain dripping from his tongue. "And I plan to teach you a lesson if nothing else." He nodded to one of the other angels who stepped forward and yanked Castiel's tie off, then ripped his shirt open.

"So it doesn't really matter whether you want to cooperate or not, I'll still have you made an example of. I don't know how it works in your universe, but here, angels don't disobey. If they do, they pay the consequences."

Castiel swallowed hard but kept his head high. "As if I haven't heard that a million times," he growled. "Do your worst."

"Cas," Dean grunted weakly from the floor, but Castiel didn't look away from the other angels. As long as they were focused on him, Dean would be safe. If Castiel could at least get him out of there alive, then that was all that mattered. He had not been able to save Sam, but maybe he could at least save Dean.

The angel who had torn Castiel's clothes, stepped aside and returned a second later, handing the leader a coiled whip. The other angel took it and uncoiled it in a snake-like motion to the ground.

"Let's get started."


	2. A Heaven of Hell

_Farewell happy Fields_

_Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrors, hail_

_Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell_

_Receive thy new Possessor: One who brings_

_A mind not to be chang'd by Place or Time._

_The mind is its own place, and in itself_

_Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n._

_What matter where, if I still be the same,_

_And what should be, all but less than he_

_Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least_

_We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built_

_Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:_

_Here we may reign secure, and in my choice_

_To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:_

_Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n._

_-Paradise Lost (John Milton)_

_XXX_

Mary stood frozen as Jack ran toward Sam's figure lying sprawled on the ground, and then she kicked herself into gear and followed him, kneeling beside her son in the mud while Gabriel firmly planted himself between them and Lucifer.

"What the hell is this?" Gabriel demanded.

"What does it look like, little brother?" Lucifer said in that calm, smug voice that made Mary's skin crawl. "Because to me, it looks like you forgot something, and I brought it back to you."

Gabriel didn't seem to know what to reply to that, but turned around as Mary was pressing her fingers to Sam's throat, taking in her youngest son's blood and mud-stained features. He was so pale under all the filth, so still. She gasped in relief when her trembling fingers finally found a pulse beating in his neck.

"He's alive," she breathed and instantly continued to inspect the wounds covering Sam's body. There were various shallow cuts, some deeper, but one particularly bad one that looked like a stab wound in his stomach.

Jack, who had been kneeling on the ground with one of Sam's hands clutched against his knees, glanced up from Sam to his father who stood there, smiling down at him.

"Hi, Jack," Lucifer said softly. "You know who I am?"

"You're Lucifer," Jack said carefully, and Gabriel stepped between them again.

"Okay, you know what? You two aren't talking until we get some answers here." The younger archangel reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of Enochian handcuffs, snapping them around Lucifer's wrists.

"What is there to figure out?" Lucifer asked incredulously. "I brought Sam back to life. I did." He looked straight at Jack as he said it and Mary saw Jack's eyes widen slightly, his mouth parting. Lucifer seemed to glow at that look and Mary felt sick to her stomach. Something was not right here.

"Kid, don't listen to him," Gabriel snapped and nodded to several of the refugees who came over and grabbed Lucifer. "Get him in angel proof lockup now," he said.

"We need to get Sam into a cabin," Mary told them and Gabriel crouched to help as Jack still stared after his father. "Jack," Mary said sharply—probably more so than she should have, but she wasn't sure what was going on and that left her uneasy. The only thing she did know was that she didn't want Jack anywhere near Lucifer until they did.

Jack thankfully snapped out of it though and bent to help them with Sam.

They carried him into the nearest cabin and laid him out on a small cot in the corner, his large frame barely contained there. "We need towels, and water," Mary told Jack.

The boy only hesitated a moment before he left the cabin, where Mary and Gabriel turned to Sam.

"Can you heal him?" she asked the archangel hesitantly.

Gabriel pursed his lips. "I should be able to at least heal the stab wound—my grace isn't exactly up to snuff right now." He watched as Mary cut away Sam's ruined shirts and frowned deeper. He pushed past her, and leaned over the cot, turning Sam's head to one side, exposing his neck that was coated in dried blood.

"Mary, something about this isn't right," he said.

"You don't need to tell me that," she murmured darkly. "Lucifer claims to have brought Sam back to life but yet he looks like this? And I know he must have been dead otherwise Dean and Cas never would have left him in there."

"He was," Gabriel said grimly. "Vamps tore his freaking throat out." He winced slightly as Mary flinched but she shook it off. "And then obviously there's the little fact that Lucifer's here instead of powering our spell." He bit his lip.

"Does that mean we're all stuck here?" Mary asked.

"Hard to say," Gabriel shrugged helplessly. "I doubt Lucifer would leave without a failsafe. I'd say we have at least twenty-four hours conservatively to get back to the portal. And Rowena might be able to extend it—if she's still alive." He got a distressed look on his face before he shook himself and glanced toward the door to the cabin as Jack hurried back in, with some mostly clean towels and a bucket of water.

"Is Sam going to be okay? How can I help?" he asked, crouching beside Mary.

"Help me clean some of this blood off of him," Mary told him, wetting one of the towels and handing it to Jack. "That way we can see the injuries better.

They worked in silence for a moment, before Jack glanced up at Gabriel and asked, "How come Lucifer was able to bring Sam back but you and Castiel couldn't?"

Gabriel shot a distressed look at Mary before he replied. "Jack…we just weren't strong enough."

"Aren't you an archangel too?" Jack demanded.

Gabriel opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut, then huffed and said, "Look, kid, I know you're new to the world, and you're uber powerful and all, but just because Lucifer is currently more powerful than I am, doesn't mean he's a good guy. I know he's your father, but, Jack, trust me, you stay away from him."

"That's what everyone keeps saying," Jack said, teeth clenched. "Everyone always says he's bad, but no one says why! In fact, the only thing I've seen him do, is bring Sam back to life, which you couldn't!"

"Jack!" Mary snapped. She was almost shocked at the young nephillim's accusations, even though she could understand where they were coming from.

"Actually, you know, he's right," Gabriel said firmly and folded his arms across his chest. "You want to know why Lucifer's such a bad guy? Because he wanted to destroy the world—just like Michael did here. If Sam and Dean hadn't defeated him, this is exactly what our world back home would look like. And you know how they got him? Sam jumped into friggin' Hell with Lucifer, and the thanks he got for saving the world was to be tortured for over a hundred years in the Cage. That's the monster you call Father, Jack."

Jack just stared at him for a long moment, and Mary finally cleared her throat, putting aside a bloodstained towel she had finished cleaning Sam's wounds with as best she could.

"Can we please just see to Sam right now?" she asked softly.

Gabriel clenched his jaw but nodded, motioning for her and Jack to get out of the way as he leaned over Sam and hovered a hand over the wound in his stomach that was still bleeding sluggishly. Mary watched as his eyes closed and he took a deep breath, a glow appearing under his palm.

The instant the healing started, Sam's eyes flew open and he shot into a sitting position, letting out a strangled scream.

"No! Stop!" he pleaded as Gabriel and Mary lunged forward to restrain him.

"Let me go!" Sam cried again, struggling against them.

"Sam," Mary said, trying to get through to him. "Sammy, it's me, you're safe. Just calm down."

Sam struggled for a few more minutes before his eyes finally focused and darted around the room, landing on each of them before they came back to Mary who sat by his head, cautiously stroking his hair aside.

"Mom?" he croaked almost hesitantly.

Mary smiled down at him. "It's really me, Sam, you're safe."

Sam's breath hitched and his eyes went wild again as he swept the room, pushing himself up onto his elbows. "L-Lucifer…"

"He's locked up right now," Gabriel said reassuringly and held up his hands. "Now, can I finish healing you?"

Sam slumped back on the cot, seeming slightly more relaxed knowing Lucifer wasn't around, and nodded. Mary's heart clenched at the sight. She glanced briefly at Jack who was standing off to one side, looking helpless.

Gabriel went back to healing again and soon the wound in Sam's stomach closed, though Gabriel was breathing heavily and sagging slightly by the time he was finished.

"That's all I can do right now," he said. "I'll work on the rest of the cuts later."

Sam nodded. "Thanks, Gabriel. Everything else is pretty much superficial anyway. It can wait until we have more time." He pushed his legs over the side of the cot, wavering slightly and Mary reached out to steady him.

"Maybe you should rest," she said.

"No, we don't have time," Sam said and pushed himself shakily to his feet. "Lucifer said we only have about thirty hours—less now…I'm sorry."

His face tore Mary apart inside and she instantly pulled him into her arms, as his tall frame bowed so he could rest his head on her shoulder. She could feel him trembling and wasn't sure if it was from shock or just everything in general.

"I should never have let him in here, I just…"

"Sam, it's not your fault," Mary said firmly, holding onto him tighter. She could practically feel the emotions roiling inside of him, and hated herself for not knowing what to say. Dean would have known, but she didn't have that kind of history with her boys. She may know a little of what had gone down between Sam and Lucifer in the past, but she knew she could never even begin to be able to fathom everything.

Sam pulled away and ran a hand over his face, taking a deep breath to steady himself before he glanced over to Gabriel and Jack. He forced a smile, and clapped the archangel on the shoulder with a nod before he turned to Jack.

"Hey," he said softly. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

The nephillim gave a small, wavering smile. "Me too."

Then he pulled Jack into a firm embrace. Jack didn't hug back instantly, but after a second, he seemed to melt against Sam and closed his eyes. Sam ruffled his hair as he pulled away, frowning as he looked around again.

"Where are Dean and Cas?" he asked and Mary saw the sudden worry in his eyes.

She sighed, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "They…they went to get your body."

"What?" Sam demanded, his eyes flaring wide with horror.

"And we need to get them back," Gabriel said firmly. "I'll go see if I can flag them down."

"No, you can't go, we need you here at the camp with Lucifer," Sam said firmly.

Gabriel opened his mouth, looking torn, but Mary stepped in. "I'll send a couple of the guys after them. Sam, why don't you clean up a little? I'll have someone bring you some clean clothes."

Sam nodded gratefully, arms wrapped around his half naked chest. "Thanks. But after that, we need to figure out what to do with Lucifer."

They all shared a look, and Jack suddenly left the cabin. Mary watched him stride off through the camp and flicked her gaze to Gabriel who nodded and followed him. Sam frowned.

"What's wrong with Jack?" he asked.

Mary sighed. "It hasn't been easy for him here. And with his father showing up, and claiming he brought you back to life…" Sam flinched and she felt her heart ache again. "Let's just say, he's getting some mixed messages."

"Which is exactly what Lucifer is good at," Sam said darkly.

"And Jack will figure that out," Mary said. "But I'm afraid he needs to figure it out for himself."

Sam pressed his lips together, looking off into the camp where Jack had disappeared. "That's what I'm worried about."

~~~~~~~~

Castiel sagged in the chains, trying to breathe through the pain, which wasn't exactly working since every breath only made his injuries hurt worse. The angel commander had taken great satisfaction from lashing him with the heavy whip for the past twenty minutes while he continued to refuse giving up any information. First on the back, Castiel's clothing eventually tearing, and then when they weren't getting the information they were looking for, the angel had moved to lashing Castiel across the chest and stomach, leaving deep welts and bruising. A couple blows even caught him across the face, one nearly taking his eye out. It hurt far more than it should have, and Castiel suspected there were sigils woven into the leather plaiting of the whip so that it could do more damage to angels.

Dean had been kicked unconscious halfway through because he hadn't stopped shouting abuse and Castiel was almost glad. He had been afraid the angels might eventually take Dean up on his offer to take Castiel's place, and Castiel was afraid they would beat him to death. Certainly the blows he had taken would have nearly killed a human.

The leader gripped Castiel's jaw roughly and yanked his face up. "You still not ready to talk?"

Castiel met his eyes and simply glowered. The angel huffed deeply and nodded to one of his men who came forward with an angel blade. Castiel's head sank back toward his chest, bowed with the pain, but he steeled himself.

"Then I guess we'll change it up a bit," the leader said. "Where is the nephillim?"

Castiel simply gave him a longsuffering look and the leader waved an exasperated hand at the other angel. "Do it."

Celestial steel carved into Castiel's flesh and he grunted but tried his best not to scream. Several more questions and cuts later, Castiel was dripping with blood, and panting hard, but not broken yet. Never broken. They couldn't break him like this, especially not when he was the only barrier between these angels and Dean. They didn't even know enough about him to properly break him and that in itself was almost a relief. Not like it was with Zachariah or Naomi.

"Sir, he's not gonna talk before we carve all the flesh from his meatsuit," the angel who held the knife said.

The leader glared at Castiel for a long moment as if sizing him up, then finally nodded. "Doesn't matter. I already sent for him. He'll be here soon."

Castiel glanced up at the leader and the other angel met his eyes, a dangerous glint in them.

"You refuse to talk now, but we have other ways of getting information." The commander strode around Castiel, almost nonchalant. "We've called for a specialist."

Castiel squirmed slightly in his chains. That couldn't be good. The word 'specialist' send images of drills and spikes driven into his head through his mind and if they hadn't been able to break him before, methods like that would make it easy for them to get at Castiel's deepest fears and insecurities.

They had to get out of here.

Dean was stirring again, groaning as he began to pull himself up into a sitting position, but thankfully the angels ignored him. Castiel shot him a look to make sure he stayed quiet. Dean's eyes blinked open and instantly narrowed as he saw the state Castiel was in. He gave an angry tug to his chains.

But before he could start up with his verbal abuse again, headlights flashed over the darkened room along with the sound of a large vehicle pulling up outside of the abandoned gas station. Dean met Castiel's gaze again and the angel swallowed hard. This must be the specialist the commander had mentioned.

Footsteps sounded outside and then the door slowly swung open.

"Ah, good evening, Castiel," the leader said.

Castiel and Dean's heads both snapped up as the figure walked into the room. Terror gripped Castiel so suddenly that he felt like he might vomit.

This angel, this specialist, was his mirror image.

~~~~~~~~

Sam washed in the water his mom had left from cleaning his wounds, taking his time even though he knew they didn't have a lot of it. He just didn't want to face Lucifer again. Not yet, not unless he could kill him. He carefully dabbed the minor cuts and bruises Lucifer had inflicted on him, the ones Gabriel hadn't been able to heal all the way, and tried to force his heart to stop beating so quickly. But every flash of pain from touching a wound just made him think of Lucifer again—carving him up, healing him a little when he went too far, torturing, manipulating. And on top of that the guilt that Sam had let him do that. Again. Had used him to get into the camp. It didn't matter that they had secured the fallen archangel; Sam never trusted that Lucifer could truly be secure. Obviously even the Cage couldn't hold him. He kept expecting him to be there behind him when he turned around, waiting with a knife, or…

There was a knock on the door and he jumped, knocking the bucket of water over to splash across the floor. He cursed and threw one of the dirty towels over the spill.

"Sam?"

It was Mom. He took a shuddering breath and called. "Come in."

Mom came in and glanced briefly at the mess before she chose to ignore it, and handed him a clean shirt and camo jacket. "Here. This is all I could find."

"It…It's fine," Sam said, quickly slipping into the clothes. He was cold, but not because of the weather, he was cold deep inside. It was left over from Lucifer's healing him. Lucifer burned cold, as he had told Sam a long time ago and demonstrated more than once in the Cage. That chill, inescapable and deep, was something that would never fail to cause terror to burrow into Sam and fester.

"Sam," Mom said quietly as he tugged the jacket tighter around him. "You don't have to go with us to talk to Lucifer."

"No," Sam said quickly. "I do. I…I need to do this."

She gave him a sympathetic look and put a hand on his arm briefly before they walked out of the cabin and crossed the camp to where they were keeping Lucifer. Sam looked around hopefully for Dean and Cas. He wanted them there, was sick with the thought that they still thought he was dead. He remembered that empty feeling when he had thought Dean was dead after defeating Amara, when he had been kidnapped by the British Men of Letters and tortured. He didn't want his brother or Cas to have to suffer that longer than necessary. Besides, he needed to know they were okay. It had been stupid of his brother to go back to those caves, but also touching. Not that it mattered, but Sam hated the thought that his body might have stayed there forever. It may be a bit selfish, but he was grateful that Dean and Cas had at least thought of that.

Gabriel met them at the cabin and Sam looked around. "Where's Jack?"

"I think he needs to cool off a little," Gabriel told him and took hold of the door to the cabin, nodding for the others to come inside.

Lucifer was in there, sitting on a cot, his hands manacled around the bar.

He smiled widely as they came in.

"Aw, look, it's all my favorite people to torture." He glanced behind them, leaning forward. "Where's my son?"

"You're not talking to him before we talk to you," Gabriel said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, I'm not talking to you before I see him," Lucifer said firmly, and his eyes turned to Sam. "Sammy and I had a deal."

Sam shifted and glowered. "You tortured me. I never agreed."

"Well, this is my new deal," Lucifer said, shrugging. "And if I were you, I would hurry up because that portal is closing more and more by the second. Pretty soon we'll all be trapped here."

"Nah," Gabriel said. "I wouldn't worry too much. We still have you to juice it up."

"Good luck finding the rest of the ingredients on this side of the world," Lucifer smirked.

The door opened then and Sam turned to see Jack standing there. He opened his mouth to protest, but Lucifer leaned forward. "Hey, Jack," he said.

"Jack," Sam tried, but Jack shook his head, holding up a hand.

"Stop, please. I just want to talk to him."

"That's not a good idea, kiddo," Gabriel said.

"Don't listen to them," Lucifer wheedled. "You can talk to me all you want to."

Sam clenched his jaw, but didn't say anything as Jack stepped forward. As much as he wanted to keep Jack as far away from the fallen archangel as possible, he knew his mom was right and that Jack would have to figure out how he felt about his father himself. It wouldn't be fair to him otherwise.

"I've been waiting to see you face to face," Lucifer told Jack. "That's why I came here. To bring you back home."

"So did everyone else," Jack said carefully. "Why do they say you're evil?"

Lucifer laughed, shooting a glance at the others as he did so. "Well, the kid's definitely not subtle." He took a deep breath and leaned toward Jack. "Well, you see Jack, I did a couple things no one liked back in the day. But I'm not like that anymore. As you can see, I even gave Sam back to you."

"Yeah, and then you tortured him to get him to show you to camp," Gabriel said firmly.

Jack glanced between his uncle and his father and then finally to Sam.

"Is that true?" he asked slowly.

Sam pressed his lips together and nodded. "Yeah, Jack."

"Okay, see, you got your brains twisted, Sammy, remember?" Lucifer said, eyes boring into him in a way that made it hard for Sam to stand still. "I found you in that cave, remember? Brought you back; and then when we were on our way here those angels attacked us and tortured you, but I saved you again? Would have healed you completely if I'd had enough grace…"

"Oh for the love of…" Gabriel cried, rolling his eyes. "Does anything that isn't a lie ever come out of your mouth?"

"I could ask the same of you, little brother," Lucifer said. "And need I remind you that you let everyone think you were dead and ran away to hide from the apocalypse, just like the coward you always are."

Sam reached out and grabbed Gabriel's arm before he could swing at Lucifer.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. Look, Lucifer. Say what you want, it doesn't matter. I know the truth and I'm never going to forget it."

The door to the cabin opened and they looked over to see two men with grim expressions on their faces.

"Carl," Mom said, her face suddenly blank. "What's wrong?"

The man motioned behind him with a thumb. "We went looking for your boys like you asked us, but we were too late."

"What do you mean, too late?" Mom demanded, stepping forward as Sam's heart froze in his chest.

"Angel patrol picked them up. Sorry, Mary."

"Son of a bitch," Mary breathed.

"Wait, angels have Dean and Castiel?" Jack asked, completely ignoring the archangel chained to the bed.

"Yeah," Carl said.

"We have to go get them," Jack said.

"Yeah," Sam said instantly, trying to fight the panic threatening to overwhelm him. This was all too much too soon.

"Whoa, whoa, you're just gonna leave me here?" Lucifer called as they all rushed out of the cabin. "I can help!"

Sam spun around and finally met his eyes darkly. "You've helped enough."

The others were gone now and it was just Sam and Lucifer again. The fallen archangel's eyes changed, their true iciness showing now. "Don't think I'll forget how you welched on our deal, Sam. Don't think I won't make you suffer for not telling the story right. You know you'll be alone eventually, and when you are, I'll find you and I'll make you sorry."

Sam took a shuddering breath but forced himself to meet Lucifer's eyes with his own steely gaze. "Bite me," he snarled. Then he turned his back on the devil and slammed the door, following the others.

~~~~~~~~

Dean stared up at the figure that had just walked in the door. He didn't think he'd been hit over the head that hard, but he knew he wasn't seeing things when he finally tore his gaze away and looked over to see the haunted look in Cas' face.

This new angel, the other Castiel, strode into the room stiffly, glancing between the two prisoners. Dean's skin crawled with a sudden chill as the angel's eyes met his—they were Cas' eyes, but they were so empty and cold. There was no life in them at all. They reminded Dean way too much of when Cas had been controlled by Naomi. On top of that, he was wearing a long black leather coat and a uniform that looked like a WWII SS officer as if this Castiel had been doing whatever the hell it was he did since Nazi Germany and hadn't bothered to change clothes.

The other Castiel's gaze finally slid from Dean and returned to Cas who shifted in his chains, breath hitching.

The other Castiel cocked his head to one side and finally blinked. "More than…one of us," he said slowly with a vaguely German accent, his face twitching as if he had some sort of nervous tick. "Fascinating."

"You know what to do," the leader cut in, nodding to his men as a couple of the angels went to set watch outside while the rest went into a back room. Dean swallowed hard. If even they didn't want to watch this, then he didn't want to know what was coming.

Cas just stared at his double, looking stricken. Dean wasn't sure if Cas was seeing something he wasn't, he wondered what it was like to look at another angel's grace when they were, well, you. He'd faced his double before but that had only been a shapeshifter and then later it was just him several years in the future. This was different. What also struck Dean as strange was that as far as he knew none of the other angels over here had shared the same vessels as the ones back home. But this Castiel was still wearing Jimmy Novak. What were the odds of that?

"Did they call you in to break me because they thought your face would make it more difficult for me?" Cas finally asked, his voice rough.

The other Castiel looked at him blankly. "No. They called me in because this is what I do."

A shudder went through Cas and Dean jerked at his chains. "Leave him alone," he growled, suddenly feeling fiercely protective of his friend.

The other Castiel ignored him, seeming fully focused on Cas. "You have to understand," he said, beginning to circle Cas slowly, looking him up and down. There was something wrong with this Castiel. He walked stiffly, and he was constantly twitching. It only helped to sell the horror of whatever was coming. "Everyone has a…breaking point. A point of pain. A particular…primitive fear maybe?" He began to slip the leather gloves he was wearing form his hands and Dean felt his stomach knot, having no idea what was coming and terrified for his friend. "But it is a nerve," he continued. "So…raw, that your…will…ceases to be a factor."

"Don't," Cas said in a low voice, seeming to have some idea of what was coming and was terrified. That made Dean break out into a cold sweat.

"And then all your little secrets flow from your mind to mine." The other Castiel was in front of Cas again staring directly into his face as he carefully tucked his gloves into the pocket of his coat and leaned in close, causing a shudder to run through Cas again as his double leaned into his ear. "Until your mind…doesn't exist."

"No, please," Cas pleaded as the other Castiel reached up to grip his head between his hands, his eyes flaring blue.

"Stop!" Dean shouted, yanking on his chains but it was already happening. Cas let out a guttural scream of pure agony and hopelessness and all Dean could do was sit and watch in horror, unable to do anything again while the people he loved were being hurt only feet away from him.

~~~~~~~

It was too easy for this angel to break down Castiel's walls; it never should have been that easy, but somehow, his double seemed to know exactly where to press, exactly what nerve to hit, and when he did the sound of pure terror filled Castiel's mind, a sharp whirr just like the drill Naomi had used on him. The key into his deepest fears.

He didn't know how long the agony went on, but when it finally stopped, he realized he had been screaming, his throat chafed from the sound. His face was wet and he sagged in his chains, whimpers passing his lips.

A hand clutched his jaw and raised his head and he found himself looking into his own eyes, but a dead and lifeless version of them, and for some reason that broke him a little more.

"You," his double said, his brow furrowing as if trying to understand something. "You are indeed a strange creature. You align yourself with the…humans."

Castiel wet his lips, forced words out of his ruined throat. "I vastly prefer them to angels."

"And…this one." His double glanced over at Dean and Castiel followed his gaze, swallowing hard when he saw Dean's pale, stricken face. "You see him as…as a brother." His double's face twitched, looking like he was processing something he could not understand. Dean met his gaze, but didn't say anything. "And another one you…lost…recently."

Castiel closed his eyes against the pain of losing Sam. "Stop."

His double's face twitched again. "You…regret not being able to do anything. You have lost much. Your powers, your… wings." Castiel shuddered, shame and hatred flowing through his frayed nerves. "You cannot even protect those you care about and it is eating you alive."

"Stop!" Castiel demanded more firmly, taking a few shuddering breaths to try and clear his head.

But his double seemed to take no pleasure in taunting him, simply stating facts. Their eyes met for a long moment and then his double's face twitched again, breaking the gaze, before he reached up to take Castiel's head between his hands again. The gesture was almost gentle, apologetic, and for some reason, that made it worse.

"No," he pleaded.

"Stop it!" Dean shouted from the sidelines. "He's had enough, you bastard!"

But it did nothing, Castiel watched in horror as his double's eyes flared bright again and the agony returned in full force.

~~~~~~~

Dean could do nothing to block the sound of Cas' screams as the angel's double took another round with the torture. Cas' voice grew hoarse and ragged, and the tears slid down his cheeks like a waterfall. Dean's own eyes were wet just watching it. He couldn't stand seeing Cas in such pain, while being so near, yet unable to help. He couldn't believe this had happened. First Sammy, now Cas…at this point his only consolation was that he would likely die with the angel. At least then he wouldn't have to bear the pain of losing another brother.

Finally, the other Castiel stopped and Cas finally fell completely limp in his chains, seemingly unconscious. With a small sigh, the other Castiel reached up and unhooked Cas' manacles from the chain suspending him and he crashed to the ground in a heap. The double then crossed the room to the other door, presumably to speak with the leader.

Dean swallowed hard and kept his gaze on his unconscious friend. "Cas? Hey, Cas!"

The angel didn't respond. Dean scooted as close as his chain would allow and was barely able to brush the shoulder of Cas' coat with his manacled hands. He stretched until he got a good grip on the fabric and dragged Cas toward him, heaving the angel's head and shoulders up into his lap. There was blood dripping from Cas' nose now in addition to the blood and welts he'd already sustained from the earlier torture. Dean felt sick to his stomach, hoping Cas wasn't damaged beyond repair. He had no idea what that kind of psychic torture, brain scrambling could do to someone long term.

He shook Cas' shoulder, glancing around as they were miraculously still left alone. "Cas, come on, man, wake up, please."

Cas finally shuddered and let out a small whimper before his eyes fluttered open and he stared blankly up at Dean.

"Dean," he whispered before more tears slid down his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

The fragile shards that were all that was left of Dean's heart shattered then. He gripped Cas' shoulder as he saw the truth in Cas' eyes and felt it in his own soul. That was when a silent decision passed between them and they knew they weren't getting out of here, and what was worse was that neither of them cared.

"Me too, Cas," he said softly then gathered the angel, his brother, closer to him. Cas clutched one of his arms limply and closed his eyes as they waited for the inevitable.

The door to the other room creaked open and the angels filed out, Cas' double lingering to one side as he stared at them, brow furrowed and face twitching in contemplation. Dean stared at them defiantly, and Cas tried to lever himself upright.

"Should we get rid of them, sir?" one of the angels asked.

The leader's eyes swept over the captives and flicked one hand at the other Castiel. "See what information you can reap from the human and then finish them off."

The other Castiel nodded firmly, and stepped forward with determination. Dean felt terror flow through him, and Cas gripped a hand in his coat; even half conscious, trying to position himself between Dean and his double.

"No, don't do this," Cas growled. "You got all the information you needed from me."

But Cas was still so weak his double simply shoved him aside and grabbed Dean, unlocking his manacles from the chain that attached him to the wall. He hauled him to his feet and stretched his arms above his head to hook them to the chain attached to the rafters. Dean struggled, but it was pointless now. He knew what was coming and all he wanted was for it to be over with.

"Now, human, let's see what you fear," Cas' double said and gripped his head between his hands.

Dean felt a brief flare of the purest agony, before flashes of Hell flickered behind his eyelids…and then it stopped. He sagged in the chains, panting and shaking, before he registered why the other Castiel had stopped. Sounds of gunshots and shouting could be heard from outside the building and the leader was shouting at his men to secure the perimeter.

The door to the gas station slammed off its hinges with a supernatural force and Dean huffed a breath of surprise when he saw Jack step through the door, eyes glowing and hand raised. Mom was right behind him, gun leveled at the angels.

"Dean!" she shouted as she spotted him.

The other Castiel looked like he wanted to simply continue the torment anyway, but with a grunt and a face twitch, he turned away from Dean and staggered toward the door.

Mom ran to Dean and reached up to pull his arms from the chains. Dean nearly collapsed on top of her, but Jack was there to help in another second.

"Thank God," Mom said, touching his face gently before reaching into her coat and pulling out a handgun. "Here, there're still angels out there."

But Dean didn't follow them because he'd caught sight of Cas going after his double. Dean cocked the gun, getting ready to go aid his friend, when the angel leader of the squadron was suddenly bursting into the room snarling, falling on Dean.

"Dean!" Jack cried and whipped his hand out, causing the angel to stop in midair, before he blew up in a burst of light.

Another blast followed shortly after and Dean glanced over with his heart in his throat to see Castiel lying dead.

With his Cas standing over him with a bloody blade.


	3. Part Three: Hazardous and High

_"If I then to the worst that can be haste,_

_Why move thy feet so slow to what is best,_

_Happiest both to thyself and all the world,_

_That thou who worthiest art shouldst be their King?_

_Perhaps though linger'st in deep thoughts detain'd_

_Of the enterprise so hazardous and high;_

_No wonder, for though in thee be united_

_What of perfection can in man be found…"_

_-Paradise Regained (John Milton)_

_XXX_

Castiel felt shock and then instant relief as he saw Jack and Mary breach the door. He staggered to his feet, searching for a weapon, ready to snatch his doppelganger away from Dean if he tried anything, but his double simply snarled and lunged for the door as soon as Jack and Mary were in the room.

Castiel realized he couldn't let him escape. He knew where the rebel camp was, they all did. He darted after his double and tackled him, slamming him against a wall. He felt an angel blade in his double's coat and snatched it, pressing it firmly against the other angel's throat.

His double swallowed hard, looking up at him. "Don't think that… you are better than me," he said, with more twitching as if every nerve was misfiring. "We—we are the same."

And as Castiel met his double's eyes, he suddenly saw then how true it was, and it hit him in the gut. The way his double had gotten into his head so quickly, the knowing, matter-of-fact look. It was because he was the same. Not who Castiel was, but who he could have been if circumstances had been different and that tore into his heart in a raw, and primal way that stole his breath.

He swallowed hard, looking into his double's eyes until a single tear slid down his own cheek, seeing beyond the nothing, the protective wall, to the pain that lay beneath. "Yes," he finally whispered. "We are."

His double raised his chin, almost in invitation and Castiel steeled himself as he changed his grip on his angel blade and with a deep breath, stabbed it into his double's chest.

The other angel's grace flared and broken wings painted themselves across the walls before the figure slumped limply to the ground, finally at peace.

After a long moment, Castiel sank to the ground beside his double, staring and breathing heavily.

A hand fell on his shoulder and Dean was kneeling beside him.

"Cas? You okay?" he asked softly.

Castiel was silent for a long moment, shaking his head. "No," he finally said.

Dean squeezed his shoulder harder and the presence was reassuring, a comfort. "I know it's kind of trippy to see your double, let alone kill them."

"No, Dean, you don't understand," Castiel said softly, looking down at the bloody blade in his hands. "This is what I could have become."

"What are you talking about?" Dean demanded. "No way you ever would have been some Auschwitz reject."

"Then you don't remember how I almost killed you, and did kill Samandriel and everything else I did when Naomi took control of me?" Castiel cried. "Dean, she conditioned me, she made me kill you a thousand times in simulation so I wouldn't hesitate when she asked me to actually go through with it." Dean's face slackened. He'd never know that, because Castiel had never told him. "Exactly like when Anna went after Sam and tried to kill your parents in the past. And this Castiel…he was not so different. He was so…he was destroyed. This…" He gestured to the body of his double. "This…machine, this could have been me, Dean." He blinked more tears from his eyes. They were flowing so easily now that his walls had been torn down, and his most desperate fears laid bare and he couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed. "This is what could have happened to me if I'd never met you or…or Sam." He choked on a sob at the mention of their lost brother. The blade finally fell from his hands to clank on the floor as he hugged himself, folding over his knees, feeling like he was being crushed from all sides, like he was suddenly drowning.

Dean's hands changed their grip and he suddenly wrapped his arms around Castiel, pulling him close, hands gripping the back of his ruined coat firmly. Castiel didn't even complain about how the tight grip hurt his injuries. It was better Dean's crushing embrace than the weight of everything else. He returned the embrace after only a second, breath hitching. He felt Dean's chest heave with silent sobs and Castiel felt some tears fall against his neck. Neither of them had had time to let out their grief yet, and now was probably the only time they would get.

Neither of them really registered the careful, almost hesitant footsteps that stepped across the boards of the long abandoned building until the familiar voice called out to them softly.

"Dean. Cas."

~~~~~~~~

Dean's head whipped up as his breath caught in his throat and for a moment he thought he was seeing another ghost, another doppelganger, but no, it was his Sammy. The crease of pain between his brows and the relief in his eyes, the way he stood there with both hesitation and longing, as if not sure what to do, as if he wasn't sure they were real instead of the other way around.

Dean and Cas rose slowly to their feet.

"Sam," Cas breathed.

Dean didn't speak, he simply stared for a long second as Sam gave them both a pained smile, and then he strode forward and pulled his brother in, crushing Sam against him. Sam let out a pent up breath and shuddered in his arms, returning Dean's firm embrace, his head falling onto Dean's shoulder. It was a long moment before Dean could speak, still not letting go.

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, running his hand up into Sam's hair to clutch the back of his neck, keeping him safely in his arms for as long as possible.

"You did," Sam replied simply, the pain obvious in his voice and Dean held him tighter before he finally, reluctantly pulled back.

Cas instantly took his place and Sam embraced the angel just as fiercely.

"Sam, what happened?" Cas asked when he finally pulled away, but kept a hand on Sam's arm still as if to reassure himself that the hunter was still there. "I saw you…you were…you were…"

"I know," Sam said quickly, his voice shaky as he took a deep breath and glanced between them, eyes pained and apologetic. "It was….Lucifer."

Dean's heart clenched in his chest. "What?"

Sam's look broke his heart as his face wrinkled up, filling with not only frustration, but a little guilt, which was not what Dean wanted to see on his brother's face right now.

"He got free, came through the rift…" Sam started, voice hitching slightly before he licked his lips, shook himself. "He was following us, I guess, and he…he found me in…in the tunnels." He was shaking and Dean wanted to pull him into his arms again, but he let Sam finish, even though the pain and loathing in his voice made Dean want to punch something—preferably Lucifer—in the face. "H-he brought me back…made me…made me take him to the camp." He looked up at both of them then, tears shining in his eyes. "I shouldn't have let him, I'm so sorry. About all of this."

"Are you good?" Dean cut in, watching his brother's eyes. There were several abrasions on his face, a little older than this fight and it was no mystery to Dean as to how Lucifer had made Sam take him back to camp.

Sam's shoulders heaved with a small sigh, folding in on himself in a way he did when he was scared—and Dean knew there were only two things that scared his heroic little brother. Losing his family and that bastard Lucifer. "I'm alive," he said finally.

"Then you have nothing to apologize for," Dean told him, and watched the uncertainty waver over Sam's face. Dean reached up and gripped the back of his neck, squeezing reassuringly. "Hey, okay?"

Sam's face collapsed slightly and one tear slid down his cheek as he nodded.

"Dean's right, Sam," Cas added, gripping his shoulder. "We're just…we're just glad to have you back."

Sam licked his lips and nodded again, seeming unable to form words as he roughly rubbed the tears from his cheeks.

Mom came in then, and stopped slightly when she saw the three of them so close, as if afraid of interrupting some sacred moment. "Hey," she said quietly. "We took out all the angels, but we're afraid more might arrive."

Sam shook himself and wiped his face again as he cleared his throat. "Yeah, we need to get back to camp."

Dean nodded in agreement and pushed his brother ahead of him, looking back at Cas who gave his dead double one more look.

"Cas, you good?" Dean asked him softly.

Cas kept staring for a long second before he tuned around and met his eyes. "I'm alive," he said, repeating Sam's words from earlier and Dean nodded, understanding. He reached out and gripped Cas' shoulder, halting him before they left the gas station.

"Cas, what he was…that will never happen to you. I swear. As long as Sam and I are around, you will never be broken like that, and if anyone tries, I'll kill them dead. You understand?"

Cas wet his lips and blinked fiercely. "I know," he said.

"Good," Dean said, squeezing his shoulder before letting him go.

They walked out and Jack met them with relief and hugs for both of them.

"I'm so glad we found you," he said sincerely.

Dean ruffled his hair fondly. "Me too, kid."

"Sam, Mary and I have decided on a plan to get all the refugees through the rift," Jack said eagerly. "That way no one is left behind."

Dean and Cas looked at each other, but, well, he supposed it was the best way to be fair and all.

Gabriel came over to them as Jack went back to Mom and spoke with her. The archangel frowned as he took in Cas' appearance.

"You look terrible, kiddo," he said and there was real concern on his face.

Cas sighed heavily and looked down at himself, finally noticing that his bloody shirt was still unbuttoned. He clumsily started to redo those at least. "I was tortured," he said simply.

"You healing?" Gabriel asked.

Cas sighed again. "Not really."

Gabriel's face fell. "Well, I got no more mojo to do it right now, not if I need to figure out what to do with Lucifer. Sorry, Cas."

"It's fine, we'll patch you up when we get back to camp," Dean told his friend and glanced over at Sam. "Both of you."

"Dean, I'm fine, Gabriel already healed the…worst of my injuries," Sam said, wincing slightly as Dean's face flared with anger.

"Well, let's go all the same, we can't have that much time left," Dean said.

By the time they got back to camp, they were all lagging behind the others. Dean hadn't been tortured methodically like Cas had, but he had still taken a pretty heavy beating, not to mention the mind flaying. Thankfully, they would get a little downtime while Mom and Gabriel went to get Bobby and the rest of the refugees from another outpost, and try to find some way to transport all these people to the rift in time before it closed. Mom had pretty much insisted the three of them stay there and Dean didn't even argue.

They went to one of the cabins after grabbing what primitive medical supplies they could find and settled down. Sam slumped onto the bed, head in his hands and Dean cocked his head at him.

"Okay, shirt off, I want to see the damage."

Sam huffed, but complied, apparently too tired to argue. And once Dean saw that he had been telling the truth and that there were only scabbed wounds that seemed, for the most part, superficial, if not painful, he was satisfied that his little brother wasn't suffering more than he could handle.

"Alright, those can hold until we can grab some gauze for them when we get back to the bunker," he said reluctantly before he turned to Cas. "Your turn."

Cas had taken a seat on a stool and gingerly pulled off his layers of tattered clothes. Both his trench coat and his shirt had been torn by the lashing, and hung in bloody rags against his back. In the better light of his cabin, Dean finally saw all the damage and hissed slightly through his teeth.

"Damn," he muttered as he took the shirt and coat in a bundle and put them on the bed next to Sam. "You can fix these?"

Cas nodded tiredly. "When I have my powers back. It's…here, it's like being cut off from Heaven, I feel like I can't recharge."

Dean pressed his lips together with a nod, and bent to wet a cloth in a bowl of water. "Well, we'll get you cleaned up as well as we can and hopefully you'll start healing once we get back home."

Cas hissed and arched his back as Dean applied the cloth. "Sorry," he said. "Lady I got it from put a little vinegar in; said it would help clean the wounds."

Cas grunted, but didn't protest. Dean gritted his teeth as he bathed the angel's raw back. They had really done a number on him, and his front was no better.

"We gotta figure out what we're gonna do about Lucifer," he said, hating the way Sam flinched when he said it.

"I'll handle him," Sam said quietly, and Dean turned to look at him, hearing the unspoken words—it's my fault, I'll fix my mess.

"Sam," Cas said, voice strained. "You don't have to do that."

"Yeah, I do," Sam replied.

"Dude, he tortured you," Dean said, not uncaringly, just matter-of-fact. "Again. Frankly I don't want you anywhere near him right now. I mean look at you, you're still in shock over what happened and you just came back from the dead."

"I know," Sam said, but his voice was a little stronger. "But Dean, I have to do this. Let me handle him."

And this time there was something else in Sam's voice, a cold undertone that spoke of revenge. Dean watched him for a long moment, before he finally nodded. "Okay. Okay, Sam."

Sam nodded, jaw clenched as he looked down at his hands clasped in his lap, running his thumb against his palm in a way that Dean hadn't seen him do for years and that made his stomach twist with regret.

Once he finished cleaning Cas' wounds, the angel had slumped forward, head clutched between his hands, eyes closed. Dean bent slightly, looking at him in concern.

"Headache?"

Cas sighed and glanced up. "Yeah."

Dean nodded, he had a slight nagging ache behind his eyes but he hadn't been subjected to the psychic torture for nearly as long as Cas had. He could only imagine how his head was pounding. "I'll see if anyone has some pain meds."

"It's fine," Cas said.

"Come on, man, nothing about this situation is fine!" Dean shouted, finally feeling his own emotions crashing through his walls. "We're in an apocalyptic world, Lucifer's free again, and your freaking doppelganger mind-raped you. And I still can't believe my little brother is back from the dead again—after I watched him get his damn throat ripped out!"

Both Sam and Cas watched him with pained eyes. Dean ran his hand down his face and felt so deeply tired that he thought he could lay down and sleep for a week. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a weary huff of breath.

"I just need this to be over. I need us to go home," he said quietly.

"We will, Dean," Sam said softly.

"It's not gonna change what happened here," Dean said darkly. "Nothing will ever change any of this! This is just our lives. Always one fricken' thing after another, losing people…I'm done, man."

"Dean, I'm back," Sam said, standing up.

"But I couldn't stop you from dying in the first place!" Dean shouted, fists clenching at his sides. "I can never seem to stop anything anymore! Not Mom getting thrown into apocalypse world, or Cas getting stabbed in the back. Or Jack running off, or that son of a bitch Lucifer putting his hands on you again!"

"Dean," Sam pleaded and Cas had pulled himself to his feet as well, both of them seeming hesitant to step in.

Dean clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his hair again. "I—I just need some air." And then he walked out of the cabin into the night as the tears welled in his eyes. Tears of frustration and the culminated pain. He just wanted to forget the last twenty-four hours. He wanted to forget the sight of Sam being dragged off by those vamps, he wanted to forget the look on Cas' face when he'd voiced his fears about what he could have become without them. He wanted a goddamned drink or twenty. He wanted his bed, he wanted his family safe. He wanted this to be over.

He suddenly swung at the nearest cabin wall, the pain bursting through his hand relieving some of the pent up anger, and he sank down against the cabin and buried his head in his hands.

~~~~~~~~

Sam watched Dean leave, an ache in his chest. He wanted to help his brother, but he was still getting over his own trauma, still barely functioning after the ordeal. Yes, comparatively it hadn't been that bad, but every cut on his body made the memories of the Cage come back to him and it was all Sam could do to stay on his feet. To not fold himself into a corner and let those memories overtake him.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and turned to Cas who was pulling on his ruined shirt again. "Think I should go after him?"

Cas glanced toward the door, his face tight. "He needs some time to cool off."

Sam nodded, knowing Cas was right and yet he didn't want to be parted from his brother at all right now. "I think I'm gonna go find him anyway," Sam said softly.

Cas seemed to understand and nodded, touching his shoulder gently. "I'm going to go find Jack, make sure everyone is ready for when Mary and Gabriel get back."

Sam nodded and they both left the cabin. Sam looked around the camp for his brother. The light was silvery grey, telling of the coming morning, though it looked like it was still going to be overcast. The wind was freezing and Sam tugged his jacket tighter to him as he glanced around.

The camp was quiet, like everyone was still asleep. Sam shivered again but this time it wasn't all from the cold. He decided he wanted to find Dean as soon as possible.

He headed to one of the more secluded cabins, knowing Dean would be looking for solitude, and called out for him hesitantly. "Dean? You here?"

"Heya, Sammy."

Sam's heart stuttered in his chest as he spun around, seeing Lucifer standing there like a repeat of his ongoing nightmares.

"No," he said. "You're locked up." His thumb subconsciously went to his palm and the old scar there, pressing firmly.

Lucifer smirked, and shrugged. "Yeah, well, turns out those Enochian cuffs don't work here. I was just putting on a good show earlier, waiting for the right moment." He lunged forward and Sam was instantly backed against the cabin, breath leaving his body and his nerves locking up in terror. He was furious with himself, but all rationality always went out the window when Lucifer was involved. He trembled, his ragged breaths puffing in the air as Lucifer hemmed him in, a cruel leer of his face.

"And look at this—alone at last, Sammy. Looks like the right moment to me." He reached into his coat and pulled out his angel blade, bringing it up to push Sam's hair out of his face in a mockingly gentle motion. Sam cringed away. "It's gonna have to be a quickie, since we don't have much time left, but I think we'll make it count, don't you?"

Sam squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the blade trace down his face and across his throat, to his chest, preparing for even more pain to come and yet he couldn't even find the power to cry out, his body and his vocal chords all locked in terror.

"Hey! Get away from him!"

Sam's eyes opened and he looked over to see Jack standing a few feet away, confusion and anger on his face.

"What are you doing?" the nephillim demanded, looking at his father.

Lucifer shuffled a step away from Sam, but not enough to let him escape. "Jack, son, this isn't really a good time. I'm just having a chat with Uncle Sammy here, so why don't you run off?"

But Jack held his ground. "You really did hurt him before, didn't you? Why would you do that?"

Lucifer was looking agitated. "Look, Jack, there's a lot that you don't understand. Like the fact that Sam here, and Dean and Castiel for that matter, are not exactly good people."

"Jack, you don't have to listen to him," Sam managed before Lucifer shot him a look and he felt like his throat was closing. He choked slightly.

Jack frowned. "Sam, Dean and Castiel raised me. They help people. You…all I've heard about you is that you hurt people. And from what I've seen even now, I think that's true."

Lucifer's anger flared, and he stepped back with one hand shoved against Sam's chest, his blade held out, gesturing at Jack. "And you believe that? Come on, man! They're lying to you! I brought Sam back, didn't I? Wasn't that great?"

"Then why are you hurting him?" Jack demanded.

"Yeah, you wanna answer that?" Sam asked, trying to edge his hand up to the small of his back where he had his gun.

"Shut up!" Lucifer's eyes flashed red and he shoved Sam forcefully against the cabin. Sam was stunned briefly but when his vision cleared, he saw Jack raising his hand at Lucifer and the concurrent blast of energy. Lucifer flew backwards and hit a tree hard. He fell with a sharp cry, and came up furious. Sam quickly moved in front of Jack, his gun held at the ready.

"Jack, go," he said firmly.

"But what about you?" Jack asked worriedly.

"Just go get Dean and Cas, I'll be fine," Sam told him as Lucifer staggered forward and Jack reluctantly ran off.

Lucifer growled, shaking his head. "Oh, boy, Sammy, you really did it this time. I'm going to run my fingers through your guts now, kiddo. And I'll make all of them watch as I flay you alive."

Sam snorted, trembling, but forcing his adrenaline rush to carry him through this. "And how will that look to Jack?"

"Hey, if the kid isn't going to love me, then he may as well fear me," Lucifer said with a shrug. "And I will give you such exquisite agony, Sam. That and so much more."

He stepped forward when Sam pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Lucifer in the leg and sparked as he shouted in shock and fell to the ground.

"Angel bullet," Sam said, feeling a dark satisfaction burn through him as he stepped forward and kicked the angel blade out of Lucifer's reach. "Looks like you wasted most of your mojo bringing me back from the dead so these actually do something to you now."

Lucifer growled up at him, clutching his leg. "This isn't going to stop me. I'm still there inside you, Sam. You know it."

Sam still held his gun. "Yeah, well, it will help for me to remember you like this."

He turned and Lucifer seemed to realize what was happening. He dragged himself across the ground and called. "Hey. Hey! You're not seriously going to leave me here again, are you?"

Sam turned back around, mouth twisting in a sneer. "Yeah. I am."

"Sam! You little bitch!" Lucifer snarled. "I'll end you! You hear me! I promise I will find you again, and I'll kill you and everyone you love!"

"Sammy!" Dean hurried over then and stopped in his tracks as he saw Lucifer lying there, ranting, on the ground.

Sam turned to his brother, swallowing hard before he said, "Told you I would take care of it."

Dean looked between him and the seething Lucifer. "Yeah. You did, little brother."

Sam then walked past him and around the cabin, trying to get his breath back, his hands were shaking so hard, that Dean finally reached out and took the gun from him, carefully uncocking it then gripping Sam's wrists.

"Sammy?" he asked.

Sam took a shuddering breath and then collapsed against his brother. Dean held him briefly, murmuring something soothing under his breath that Sam didn't really pay attention to at that moment. Just having Dean there was enough.

"Sam, Dean!" Cas and Jack ran up and Sam reluctantly pulled away. "We heard gunshots," Cas added, worry on his face.

"We're fine," Sam said, feeling a little steadier now.

"What about Lucifer?" Jack asked somewhat hesitantly.

Sam licked his lips. "I took care of him."

Jack looked like he wanted to ask for details but thankfully didn't. Sam wanted to go back and put several more bullets into Lucifer to see if it would take this time, but he would stay satisfied with this. If Michael found him after they left, then he would have something to distract him while they got back to their world.

"Your mother and Gabriel are back with Bobby and the other refugees," Cas told them then. "They brought a bus. It should hold everyone."

Sam checked his watch and realized the time. "Okay. Good."

He looked between the others and Dean simply reached out and took a firm grip on his shoulder. "Let's go home."

And those three words caused the warm relief to flow through Sam. They may not be out of the woods completely yet, but they were together and they were heading back to their world.

"Yeah," he said after a short breath of relief. "Let's go home."


End file.
